Mad Dog & Beans

ABF & I met up for a mid-week dinner at Mad Dog & Beans Mexican Cantina, an upscale Mexican spot along historic Stone Street (in NYC's Financial District).

We'd eaten there quite a few years ago when MD&B first opened, and I remember thinking it was just okay with the food, but they made excellent margaritas.

This visit, however, renewed our interest. We started with a Negro Modelo for ABF, and I ordered the blood orange margarita. This was beautifully presented, a generous serving, and had a sweet vs sour battle where sour was almost winning- in the most delectable way. Even ABF, who doesn't fall under the magic of margaritas, was impressed.

Next, a bowl of guacamole, which I loooove but ABF can take or leave (what? I know, right? More for me!) We ordered it medium spicy, but it was very mild, heat-wise. Flavor-wise, it was one of the best guacamoles either one of us has tasted. Perfectly ripe avocado, strong but smooth fresh lime flavor, just enough texture to make it interesting. We scraped every last morsel out of that dish!!

ABF ordered his favorite- Enchiladas Suizas: shredded chicken with a zingy tomatillo sauce. Fabulous.

I got a little fancy and went for the Tampiquena: skirt steak with roasted onions & peppers, and a cheese enchilada on the side. It also came with rice & beans.

Everything was so good! I don't know what's changed there, but the food went from just good to dy-no-mite. I took half my plate home for dinner the next night and yep, you guessed it: even more of a flavor party!

This visit definitely made us re-evaluate Mad Dog & Beans- and might I add- the guacamole, at 12 dollars, was several dollars cheaper (and SO much BETTER) than you'll find at many other spots around town (I'm looking at you, Rosa Mexicano!)

Mad Dog & Beans

83 Pearl St

New York, NY 10004

(212) 269-1177

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Luke's Lobster (roll with it!)

Next week is an exciting one-- my friend That Sara (of NYCNomNom) is getting married in Maine! I love Maine, and all of New England, so I'm very excited for the trip.

ABF & I decided to get into the New England spirit a little early last night and finally hit up Luke's Lobster, just a 2 minute walk from the R train (and his office!)

It's a small space, but it was practically empty so we got the big table and started with some Maine Root sodas (similar to the ones we had last year at Scratch)

L-R Shrimp, Lobstah, Crab

There was no hemming & hawing on what to order-- we both wanted the Noah's Ark ($38), which is 3 rolls split for 2 people: shrimp, crab, and of course, lobstah (Sodas, potato chips, and crunchy/salty pickle included)!

Cravetastic Crab

I love a good lobster roll, and I like them simple-- just a little drawn butter and naturally sweet lobstah on a grilled, buttered hot dog bun. That's it. Luke's sticks pretty close to this, adding their own spice blend as well, and letting you add as much Sriracha as you want (deeeeeeeeelicious on all rolls). I added a zing or two of it in alternating bites.
And yet, as much as I love a delicious lobstah roll, the crab roll totally stole the show!
Normally crab seems like WAY too much work for too little meat, but at Luke's, they do all the hard work for you! And they top their perfectly toasted, perfectly buttered rolls with an impressive, satisfying amount of filling.

Our rolls came out quickly, and the Noah's Ark platter was a great way to sample a few bites of each seafood flavor. Yum. As much as I loved the crab, I think I'd still go back for a taste of all 3. But next week, lobstah rolls in Maine! And Rhode Island! And Massachusetts!

Luke's Lobster
26 S William St
New York, NY 10004
(917) 882-7516

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Financier Patisserie

My friend Carlota & I met up a while back in the Financial District for a late afternoon coffee break. We decided to stop at Financier, the French pastry stop where ABF's office so often gets their birthday cakes (which I get to hear about but NEVER sample!) ABF & I have walked by this spot countless times, but we'd never stopped in before. Enough taunting stories of delectable birthday pastries--time for me to score some yum on my own!

Bright, bustling, busy, and bursting at the (display case) seams with gorgeous, painstakingly-crafted goodies.

It was still mild enough to sit outside, so we took our iced coffees and a mini-sized raspberry-white chocolate eclair outdoors. Each of our drinks came with a bite-size madeleine--adorbs!

The pastry was delightful; even though I don't normally care for white chocolate, it paired nicely with the fresh, succulent berries.

Surprisingly, though, the coffee was terrrrrrrrible. Feh. I barely drank 3 sips before deciding I really couldn't bear the bitter, ashy flavor. Shame. I've heard from others that their drip coffee is pretty awful, so if you go (and their pastries/desserts are worth the trip), get something espresso-based!

Financier Patisserie
62 Stone Street
New York, NY 10004
(212) 344-5600

Fast & Spicy

I met ABF downtown for a quick lunch date and we felt like having Indian. We met at Bombay's Indian Cuisine(formerly a Baluchi's) and managed to snag a table in the middle of the FiDi (Financial District) lunch rush.

Bombay is set up in a cafeteria style--they have a small but varied menu, pre-made drinks (including lassis!), and trays. Grab a drink, grab a tray, order your food, and you're served in seconds. A plus when you only have a short time for lunch.

While I saved our table, ABF went up to the line and ordered our food. Such a gent, that guy. :)

Look at those prices! We couldn't NOT get samosas (they were a dollar!)

ABF had never had one before, so I was quite happy to bring that deliciousness into his life. So good!

We each got the chicken tikka masala combo, which came with rice and saag paneer (spinach with a cream-cheesy type blend). While fast is good, how it tastes is more important. This was quite possibly one of the most succulent CTMs I have ever had. I was shocked at how tender and tasty the meat was. Kabob chicken often comes to you all dry and tough and overcooked..but not there! This was just great, and for 8 bucks total? Top that! It was more than I could possibly finish, but that's okay.

So while this was ABF's first taste of samosas, I finally broke down and had some garlic naan. I may never go back to regular naan again. Soft, chewy, garlicky---carb heaven!

As seen above in the first photo, I did pick up a mango lassi. It was tart, not too sweet, and just creamy enough to cool off my tongue from the surprisingly spicy chicken tikka.

I am by no means an 'expert' in Indian food, but I do know a tasty chicken tikka masala when I have one. If you're in the Financial District and want a good, affordable lunch option--come here, and come hungry! (And if you have room after, you can take 10 steps to your right and get coffee at Fika!!)

Thanks again to ABF for a delicious, tasty lunch--as if getting to spend some extra time with ABF weren't delicious enough on its own!

Bombay's Indian Cuisine
60 Pearl Street
New York, NY 10004
(212) 742-2222

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Eating My (delicious) Words

My first trip to Crumbs had me writing them off--the cupcake I tried was dry, too much going on, and in general left me quite disappointed. When Lil Sis was visiting, ABF asked if she'd rather have cupcakes or French pastry (my mind: French Pastry! Millefeuille!) She opted for cupcakes, so we walked to the FiDi outpost of Crumbs. I sighed inwardly but tromped on gamely because, after all, Lil Sis was visiting!

Maybe I was in a better frame of mind, but the smell of this place snagged me instantly. This was the same place where ABF had picked up the chocolate chip cookie dough cupcake we'd halfheartedly shared ages ago, and yet this time smelled....different. Deliciously different.

Oh yeah..calorie counts on my cupcakes? INSTANT (temporary)
BUZZKILL.

Lil Sis snagged the Grasshopper cupcake (530 calories!? eeep!), which had devil's food cake with peppermint flavoring and mint icing--I was set on trying some of hers! She kindly obliged to her (bossy) big sister, and I was so glad! This was superb--rich chocolate, just enough icing, and bits of mini chips on top. Great texture and flavors. Dangit.. I like Crumbs.

ABF ordered the red velvet, your basic deep rich chocolate cake with a serious dose of food coloring and some creamy, fluffy icing.

I felt overwhelmed at first by the dizzyingly colorful cluster o'cupcakes, but eventually settled on the Good Guy, a vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream filling and copious amounts of sprinkles. SPRINKLES!

This was soft, light cake with a shot of buttercream in the middle that had an almost whipped consistency. I was shocked at how much I liked this cupcake! The sprinkles went everywhere on the ground and it looked like a clown had exploded, but it was well worth the mess (and I'm sure I made some squirrels very happy)!

The birthday cakes aren't cheap, but they're cute! I bet they're tasty, too.....has anyone out there tried them? They also have mini ones!

The portion sizes are easily double a normal cupcake (hence the larger calorie count), but these are easily shared and will leave you both happy.

A nice hot chocolate and/or coffee accompanies the cupcakes nicely!

The inside of the store is tiny, so we were forced out into the cold and ate our cupcakes outside, shivering but happy. Thank you, ABF, for treating Lil Sis & me to such a sweet treat, and for so gallantly leading us around the Financial District for a top-notch tour!

And thank you Crumbs, for teaching me a delicious lesson---always give a cupcake a second chance to make a first impression!

Crumbs Bake Shop
87 Beaver St
New York, NY
(212) 480-7500

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Vintry Wine & Whiskey

Fellow bridesmaid (from Jen's wedding) and friend Laura suggested a girl's night out one random Monday, and the bridesmaids and the bride all gathered in Fidi at a new spot: Vintry Wine & Whisky.

Sliders & Shakes

Another deal lured ABF and yours truly out to the Financial District this week. UrbanDaddy.com offered 3 mini sliders and 3 mini milkshakes for 15 bucks a person. Did I mention the milkshakes are spiked??

ABF and I rolled up after work the other night and found ourselves the only people eating. A small group was at the bar, but otherwise the place was ours! We sat by the window and chatted after placing our order. It took a good 30 minutes for the food to arrive, but it was worth the wait.

The burgers were their standard burger, the Big Kahuna (bacon and avocado), and the Subprime, a sirloin slider smothered in mushrooms and a spicy sauce.

When the burgers first came out, I thought they were so small that there was no way we'd fill up on these. They're actually quite filling..each burger was a few bites' worth, with yummy char, delicious flavor, and awesome toppings that made each one stand out. I favored the original Shoppe burger, while ABF liked the Big Kahuna the best. While I loooove avocado, I'm not a fan of it when it gets warm. I still liked all 3 burgers, I just liked the original the best.

Please note how huge the 'mini' milkshakes are. What? I was picturing a tall shot glass-sized portion for each one. Boy, was I wrong! They were more like HALF the size of a regular milkshake. From L-R they were: banana spiked with rum, chocolate spiked with Guinness, and vanilla spiked with single-malt Scotch. Yes, please! The alcohol flavors were perfectly balanced--enough to give you a taste, but not so overpowering that it was all you could notice. Well done!

I mean seriously, this is a mini-shake?? I'm not complaining though--these were delicious. Surprisingly, I liked the Guinness version the least, and not so surprisingly, loooooved the Scotch sampler. The banana rum was surprisingly delicious, too. I think even ABF was happily surprised at the yumminess.

My overall thoughts? It was worth it at the sale price of 15pp, but I probably wouldn't have coughed up the original 24pp. However, I would absolutely go back for that Scotch milkshake!!

Fika Espresso Bar

Cafe Fika is a Swedish coffee/sandwich place that has several outposts uptown ("fika" is Swedish for coffee break). 2 Christmases ago I stopped by the one near 57th street to pick up some pastries and coffee for Christmas with ABF's family (his dad's side is Swedish). They were all delicious, but that particular location is so small that I felt almost claustrophobic waiting to pay at the cash register. When ABF told me there was a new location opening up on Pearl Street near his office, I couldn't wait to try it!

I met ABF after work one chilly day. This spot is just a few steps from the R train, within sight of the bustle of Stone Street. While I waited at a table outside, I snapped a few photos of the buildings around us. I never, ever get tired of looking at all the buildings here. There is always something new to notice, even on a building you've passed a thousand times before.

ABF showed up just a few minutes later, and we decided to stay outside. It was a little cool, and random raindrops were plinking down around us, but we dared to brave the weather. I hopped inside and picked out two sandwiches for us. Unfortunately the beet-stuffed burger ABF has tried before was not available, so we opted for the meatball and the curried chicken. ABF took the curried chicken, because I've never been a big fan. That was about to change! This was SO good! Perfectly seasoned, tender chunks of chicken, and just enough sauce. The bun was a bit unwieldy, and sesame seeds rained down all over our table, but this dish was a winner.

I took the Swedish meatball sandwich, which was slathered with chilled beets. Why don't I cook beets more at home? Few things are as vibrantly delicious as a perfectly roasted beet. In fact, I'm ordering some tonight from Fresh Direct! Back on track...the beets were a sweet complement to the meat, which I wish had been even a little salty. The meatballs were a bit bland, but the beets and the sauce picked up some of the flavor slack.

Just as we finished our sandwiches, the rain started to come down a bit more seriously. We packed up our dishes and went inside for coffee and dessert. There is a lot to choose from when it comes to this part! I ordered regular coffee with my dinner, and when you get coffee with an entree, you get free refills. Woo hoo! The friendly server freshened up my cup and made a latte for ABF, finishing it off with a lovely little foam heart.

I ordered an oversized macaroon, which is about the only way I like to eat coconut. This was soft, moist, and chewy, a perfect pairing with my strong Swedish coffee.

I meant to order a shortbread cookie for ABF, but apparently I wasn't clear enough. I pointed at the dish of shortbread cookies, not realizing a crumbly type of sugar cookie was there as well. That's what the server brought us, and I didn't realize it until ABF & I sat down in our booth. He went with the flow and tried it, but I think we both would have preferred the shortbread. This has to be THE crumbliest cookie I've ever seen. One bite and it literally fell apart in ABF's hand. It has a nice almond flavor (I looove almond!) but it was just too crumbly to handle.

This store, which is Fika's flagship location, also offers their own chocolates. I'll have to sample those on my next trip, but they did look delicious!

I wouldn't put Fika under Cheap Eats, but it is moderately priced, and it is quality food. If you're in the area, uptown OR downtown, definitely pop in and take a fika AT Fika!

Fika Espresso Bar
66 Pearl St
New York, NY 10004
(212) 832-0022